SimonDoom
Kink Lord
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2015
- Posts
- 19,112
Earlier today I got a new comment on a story I'd written well over a year ago: "Total rubbish." I've done this long enough and have a thick enough skin that it didn't bother me. But the comment got me to thinking about what constitutes good criticism and bad criticism. I try to follow these basic guidelines when I write comments, which also are what I like to see in comments or criticism I receive:
1. Be constructive. The number 1 rule. The purpose of a comment should be constructive and helpful -- to praise the author for achieving something good or to point out in a useful way how the author might have done something better.
2. Don't be insulting or dismissive and don't use obscenity. "Total rubbish" is dismissive and unhelpful. I want to know HOW my story was rubbish and how I might make it less rubbishy. "Cuckshit", same thing.
3. Help the author write a better version of his/her story rather than a story that's more like how or what you write or like. It does no good to tell someone "You should have written something totally different." Criticism should be along the lines of "You were trying to accomplish X, and here's how you could have accomplished it more effectively."
4. Do not impose your own moral views or what you think are acceptable or unacceptable types of erotica. Related to number 3. This is not helpful. If someone's cup of tea is poison for you, it's totally unhelpful for you to tell them so or criticize them for it. It may make you feel good but it doesn't help them. If it's a published story, then presumably it's passed Laurel's test, and the author doesn't need to hear your disapproval. This criticism does NOT apply to unpublished works where the author wants to know if it satisfies Laurel's content guidelines.
5. Be specific. If the author did something you don't like as a reader, be specific and give an example of what it was so the author knows what you are talking about.
6. Try to do more than just give your own subjective opinion. This dovetails with (3). It's not helpful to hear "I would do this differently." Explain why, and give a reason why a change should be made that's tied to making the story.
7. Try to find something you like in the story. We're all human and it's hard to be criticized. It goes down better when there's a little praise offered as well.
8. Be judicious about comments on spelling, grammar, and style. I know people are all over the map about this. Some authors don't like giving or receiving this kind of advice. I DO like to receive comments about these errors so I can identify whether it's a repetitive problem I need to be on guard to correct. I try not to be a spelling/grammar Nazi but I do point out certain kinds of things that authors frequently slip up on and which significantly impair my ability to enjoy the story, like unconscious tense-shifting or point of view shifting, or lack of basic knowledge about how to write dialogue. A little of this goes a long way.
9. Finally, don't be an asshole. It kind of falls under some of the others above, but it's a good idea when you're done writing a comment to ask yourself, "Am I being an asshole?" I have hit the comment delete button a few times when I wrote something and was about to send it but then thought to myself that the recipient might think I'm an asshole.
Agreements or disagreements about these? Anyone have other guidelines for good criticism?
1. Be constructive. The number 1 rule. The purpose of a comment should be constructive and helpful -- to praise the author for achieving something good or to point out in a useful way how the author might have done something better.
2. Don't be insulting or dismissive and don't use obscenity. "Total rubbish" is dismissive and unhelpful. I want to know HOW my story was rubbish and how I might make it less rubbishy. "Cuckshit", same thing.
3. Help the author write a better version of his/her story rather than a story that's more like how or what you write or like. It does no good to tell someone "You should have written something totally different." Criticism should be along the lines of "You were trying to accomplish X, and here's how you could have accomplished it more effectively."
4. Do not impose your own moral views or what you think are acceptable or unacceptable types of erotica. Related to number 3. This is not helpful. If someone's cup of tea is poison for you, it's totally unhelpful for you to tell them so or criticize them for it. It may make you feel good but it doesn't help them. If it's a published story, then presumably it's passed Laurel's test, and the author doesn't need to hear your disapproval. This criticism does NOT apply to unpublished works where the author wants to know if it satisfies Laurel's content guidelines.
5. Be specific. If the author did something you don't like as a reader, be specific and give an example of what it was so the author knows what you are talking about.
6. Try to do more than just give your own subjective opinion. This dovetails with (3). It's not helpful to hear "I would do this differently." Explain why, and give a reason why a change should be made that's tied to making the story.
7. Try to find something you like in the story. We're all human and it's hard to be criticized. It goes down better when there's a little praise offered as well.
8. Be judicious about comments on spelling, grammar, and style. I know people are all over the map about this. Some authors don't like giving or receiving this kind of advice. I DO like to receive comments about these errors so I can identify whether it's a repetitive problem I need to be on guard to correct. I try not to be a spelling/grammar Nazi but I do point out certain kinds of things that authors frequently slip up on and which significantly impair my ability to enjoy the story, like unconscious tense-shifting or point of view shifting, or lack of basic knowledge about how to write dialogue. A little of this goes a long way.
9. Finally, don't be an asshole. It kind of falls under some of the others above, but it's a good idea when you're done writing a comment to ask yourself, "Am I being an asshole?" I have hit the comment delete button a few times when I wrote something and was about to send it but then thought to myself that the recipient might think I'm an asshole.
Agreements or disagreements about these? Anyone have other guidelines for good criticism?
Kant
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